Nothing Like Old Friends

[estinose]

Summary: Jason understands how Billy feels. (Pieces of Gold storyline)


This piece is set between "A Golden Homecoming" and "King Mondo's Last Stand", probably after the tag of "Golden Homecoming". Since we don't know how many days passed between the events of the two episodes, it fits a little better near that story. There are a lot of unresolved issues in the story arc. This is one of them.

Please note that this story contains a mild piece of swearing.
Nothing Like Old Friends
by Estirose

Jason had to run to catch up with Billy. His former teammate had been unusually uncommunicative, and it was so unlike Billy to not want to be around Jason. Jason had wanted to get together with Billy, talk about old times, old monsters, and what was going on with the team. After all, he had known Billy the longest.

He had a sneaking suspicion why Billy was so upset. Billy had been with the team for so long, much longer than anybody else, and now he was powerless with no chance of getting his powers back again. Or so Jason understood.

Jason may have been proud to get back on the team, but he didn't really intend to get on at Billy's expense.

Billy was walking through the park, head bowed. Jason knew this behaviour of old. Billy didn't want to be with people, so he avoided attention by paying attention to the sidewalk. "Billy!" he called.

The figure before him slowed down and looked over his shoulder. Jason was struck by the expression on Billy's face. He looked upset, but also guilty. Probably over Jason, or he wouldn't be avoiding him like this. Jason knew he had to do something. After all, Billy was one of his original teammates. Not only that, Jason felt responsible for Billy. It was one of the leftover vestiges of being a former leader of the Rangers.

Jason caught up. Not hard to do, once Billy slowed down. Billy hadn't been a klutz for a long time. In fact, life as a Ranger had kept him in rather good shape. Billy still had that half-guilty, half-angry expression on his face. He placed his hand on Billy's shoulder. "We need to talk, Billy."

Billy shrugged the hand off. "Not right now, Jason."

"Yes, now," Jason replied. "We need to get a few things worked out."

Billy snorted. "I'll be fine, Jason. I just need time alone. To think."

"No, you won't be fine. You'll sit in your lab and brood."

"Maybe I need to sit and brood, Jason. Ever think of that?"

Jason mentally sighed. Billy could be stubborn about talking. He wished Trini or Kimberly were there. They could get him to talk. He didn't know Kat or Tanya well enough, although both were nice. He wondered if he could improvise something. "Maybe I should sic Kat or Tanya on you."

Billy's expression changed to a startled one. "You wouldn't."

"Maybe I would. Damnit, Billy, you're avoiding me. I want to know why!"

Billy was silent for a moment, and Jason feared that he'd said something wrong. But Billy spoke. "It's not really about you..."

"It's about the powers, right? Tommy told me what happened," Jason said.

"Yeah. I don't mean to be upset at you, it's just that you're the one holding the powers that I couldn't have."

"It's not your fault, Billy. Things happen."

Billy's shoulders sagged. "I know. But I've been waiting for a year to have my powers back. I've been on the sidelines for far too long."

Jason felt he understood. The only reason he didn't feel as bad about it was that they didn't get much news from Angel Grove at the peace conference. He wasn't near the power all the time.

Only another Ranger could understand what it was like to hold the power. And only someone who hadn't been a Ranger for a while could understand why not having powers was so painful.

You got addicted to the powers in a way. You forgot the bumps, the bruises, all the excuses you had to make to hide the truth. You forgot the stress it put on your life. Yeah, it sounded like a drug, but nothing really permanent happened. Bumps and bruises and even the stress were just temporary.

Best of all, they were doing what they thought was right. Still, sometimes the stress got to you, the feeling that you could have done better. Doing something, that was important.

"You want to go back and fight. We all do," Jason said. "Do you know how eager I was when I heard that I could be a Ranger again? I think Zack, Trini, and Kimberly would be the same way."

"Yeah. Kind of silly, right? Every so often I remember the bad points and try to remember why I would ever want the power again. But then I see the others fight, and I can't go help them. Sure, I can handle the technological equipment, but sometimes it's just that they need another person. And I'm stuck on the sidelines!"

Jason nodded. "Just like when Tommy joined the team and suddenly we had another person so that we weren't overwhelmed."

"Well, yeah. But anyway, I'm glad that you're back, and I'm glad the golden powers weren't lost. I'm just not happy about it."

"Nobody says you have to be," Jason said softly. "I'd be annoyed as heck if I couldn't absorb any powers."

"So far, it's only the golden ones," Billy corrected. "But it's still a letdown."

Jason snorted. Billy may have been what others described as quiet, shy, and mild-mannered, but there were a lot of depths that not even his friends saw. However, Billy wasn't fooling Jason. "Billy, from what I could tell, it was more than a letdown."

Billy paused. "Yeah, I suppose it is. But I don't want to be angry at anyone. The team's too important for me to be falling apart. Even if I have no powers. I was really mad when Rocky ended up Blue Ranger. I tried to be so careful about that. He didn't do anything wrong, after all."

"I know. Tommy told me," Jason said. Tommy had said more than that, but the gist of it was that Billy had lost his chance at power twice. Sure, the first time Billy had given it up willingly, but by the second he must have been yearning for it pretty badly. And to be rejected by the power....

"I guess that being in the way of that explosion kind of fouled things up for me. Still, it's a good thing to do. I just can't see it as heroic anymore now that it's robbed me of the chance. I suppose if one of the team leaves, I could try, but it's not good."

Jason inwardly sighed. Billy still had low expectations in some ways. "I know you wouldn't push anyone off the team. I'm sure that you'd be anybody's first choice if they needed replacements."

"I just hope they won't. We've gone through enough Rangers...."

"Yeah, I know. And they're all so far away now."

"There's another thing. We all tend to go away when we leave. How can we support each other when everybody's either active or out of touch?"

"Not here, you mean."

"Yeah. It's like everybody stays away when they've lost their powers. But the eleven of us are the only ones who know what it's like."

"Yeah. I sometimes wish I could tell," Jason said. "But between Zordon's rules and everything, I know I couldn't."

"And they wouldn't understand, anyway," Billy replied. "We only have each other, our friends."

"I guess that's what friends are for," Jason responded.

"I guess you're right."

Jason nodded, and they started walking again. He knew that what Billy felt wouldn't be hashed out in one day. But that was okay. He only had to work through it. They had plenty of time to talk.

After all, wasn't that what friends were for?

Especially old ones.

-End